Game #1 - @ Montana

[VULB#62]

Here is the MTU placeholder.

Hope we can be competitive for 4 quarters. Regardless, I will be there. GO VALPO!

[covufan]

Hope we can be competitive for 4 quarters. Regardless, I will be there. GO VALPO!

I'd settle for being within 10 points with 2 minutes left in the first half.  Keep the turnovers to a minimum.  No long scoring plays given up on defense.

Montana  42
Valpo      17

[usc4valpo]

Montana 54
Valpo 10

Soory co, Montana will score on long drives early and often.

[covufan]

Montana 54
Valpo 10

Soory co, Montana will score on long drives early and often.

Not worried about long drives, but several years ago (under the previous regime) we gave up scoring plays of 50 yards or more I'd say 16-18 times in the season. 

I wouldn't be surprised by your score prediction, only hoping for better.

[vu72]

Montana 54
Valpo 10

Soory co, Montana will score on long drives early and often.

Not worried about long drives, but several years ago (under the previous regime) we gave up scoring plays of 50 yards or more I'd say 16-18 times in the season. 



I wouldn't be surprised by your score prediction, only hoping for better.

A very solid guess indeed!      I counted 17!! 

[JD24]

The combination of the writeup of our Grizz guest and the beatdown the secondary has undergone since the end of last season...that's two starting CBs and a starting safety lost plus some depth if your scoring....does not paint a pretty picture for me for early games and in particular vs a team that throws it around a lot with some quality at the WR position.

It may be a 50-10 game which is not as close as the score indicates.

[mtgrizfankb]

We will see. I'm thinking 38-10 type of range. We do have very good WRs but our D should be our strong unit. We scored 42 in our final scrimmage yesterday so we are capable but... you never know. That's why we play the game

[covufan]

Montana 54
Valpo 10

Soory co, Montana will score on long drives early and often.

Not worried about long drives, but several years ago (under the previous regime) we gave up scoring plays of 50 yards or more I'd say 16-18 times in the season. 



I wouldn't be surprised by your score prediction, only hoping for better.

A very solid guess indeed!      I counted 17!! 

Just after that season I counted them and thought it was 17, but I wasn't going back to check.  That 17 may have been from scrimmage, add a few more for punt, interception, and kickoff returns. 

It is one thing to give up a high percentage of red zone touchdowns; quite another to be 30 yards beyond the red zone and give up that many. 

[vu72]

So I'm wondering about how big this "pay" game will be?  Is it a flat fee or based on attendance?  Last year's pay game was against Illinois State and the attendance was just over 10,000.  Our Montana friends are saying a sellout at just over 26,000.  Just wondering...

[VUOR63]

I'd be ecstatic if we kept them in low 40s and Valpo scored around 20. 

It would also be great if Valpo could score first so that Coach C can pull a Lee Corso: call time out and take a picture of the team under the scoreboard.

[talksalot]

Temp will be in the low 80s, Sunny and light winds...   so there goes THAT excuse.  They are 3,209 feet above sea level.  I have no expectations, just hope we have a full roster available for the Dukes next weekend.

[usc4valpo]

If we get off the Black and Tan koolaid, the game is a major mismatch and will not be competitive. Montana is also high altitude and a difficult road trip.

[mtgrizfankb]

Montana is pay valpo a flat fee around 200k I do believe. I think we encorperated travel and such into the deal.

[historyman]

Montana is pay valpo a flat fee around 200k I do believe. I think we encorperated travel and such into the deal.

Hmmmm...........where could we use $200,000 at this time?

[vu72]

Montana is pay valpo a flat fee around 200k I do believe. I think we encorperated travel and such into the deal.

Hmmmm...........where could we use $200,000 at this time?

Wells, seeing that we average just slightly over 2000 per game, with five home games at $10 a seat, that's $100,000 in revenues (not counting the massive hotdog market).  My guess is that every cent earned from getting our butts kicked will be needed to support the football team and coaches.

[JD24]

I'd be ecstatic if we kept them in low 40s and Valpo scored around 20. It would also be great if Valpo could score first so that Coach C can pull a Lee Corso: call time out and take a picture of the team under the scoreboard.

LOL! That's awesome.

[JD24]

Temp will be in the low 80s, Sunny and light winds...   so there goes THAT excuse.  They are 3,209 feet above sea level.  I have no expectations, just hope we have a full roster available for the Dukes next weekend.

My thoughts exactly. Can't lose two starters in the first half for the year as we did last year.

[VULB#62]

Ok, it's my time to weigh in a full week prior to the game. I reserve the right to amend in the coming week. 

Valpo hangs tough for one quarter, scores a TD off a MTU  turnover but then gives up a couple of Q2 TDs. We go into the half down 24-7.  In Q3 MTU continues to exert their superior strength, skills and depth to increase their lead into Q4, but Valpo finds a way to get a FG in the final quarter.

Final score:  Montana 45  -   Valpo 10.

[vu84v2]

End of First Quarter Score: Montana 21 Valpo 3

Halftime Score: Montana 49 Valpo 3

Montana plays "pick the final score" and plays second and third string on second half. Final Score: Montana 63 Valpo 10

[vu72]

End of First Quarter Score: Montana 21 Valpo 3

Halftime Score: Montana 49 Valpo 3

Montana plays "pick the final score" and plays second and third string on second half. Final Score: Montana 63 Valpo 10

Wow! Aren't we negative!  We aren't playing North Dakota State!  Clearly we are better than last year and we lost to Illinois State ( a team who beat Northwestern the following week) by 37.  I would expect a similar result.  Say, 50-14.

[JD24]

At this point I don't know that we are better than last year and in particularly in any clear fashion. We may be but we may also not be.

It's also possible that we don't know the answer to whether we are any better until game 4.

[vu72]

At this point I don't know that we are better than last year and in particularly in any clear fashion. We may be but we may also not be.

It's also possible that we don't know the answer to whether we are any better until game 4.

Obviously you may be right but if you are then the coaching has to answer for that.  We have more experience back than any year under Coach C.  Those kids have been in the weight room under close supervision for another year.  Sure seems logical that we would be bigger and more experienced.  Does that equate to "better"?  As you suggest, time will tell.

[VULB#62]

One experience that none of them have shared yet is playing before a packed house of 26,000 fans. Yes, we've played in some good sized stadiums like EKU and ISU recently but they weren't close in comparison to Washington-Grizzly in terms of crowd size and being literally surrounded by fans. When it is all said and done, these players will have a unique memory that will, in all likelihood, be the most memorable of their Valpo careers.

HOWEVER............

The intimidation factor will be very significant and it will take our kids at least a quarter to settle down. By then it could be all over. I hope we win the toss and defer so that our D plays first.  You can have the jitters on D and it still won't impact execution as much as it would the O. That first series would also give the O some time to better adjust while the crowd settles down.  Regardless, we will be playing in the most intense environment this program has ever experienced.

I'm glad I'll be there.

[JD24]

Obviously you may be right but if you are then the coaching has to answer for that.

If that were the case they should answer for it but they likely won't. Not their style.

We have more experience back than any year under Coach C.  Those kids have been in the weight room under close supervision for another year.  Sure seems logical that we would be bigger and more experienced.  Does that equate to "better"?  As you suggest, time will tell.

There are other programs within the league and on Valpo's schedule which have more, as many and/or older experience back. I presume all of these teams have off season programs and will walk into the upcoming season full of optimism.

Offensively, they should be ok. The offense wasn't dynamic last year but it was workable and suffered from using two QBs including one who wasn't all that great. The biggest issue on offense is replacing two senior OLmen and who the QB is and remains throughout the season.

Defensively, much more up in the air. This unit kind of held the team in games last year if not being overwhelmingly good and allowed a workable offense to put up enough to win a few games. The unit has lost a starting safety who was HM all league, a starting CB, a 3 year starter at LBer, and a rotational LBer who may have stepped into the starting role for the 3 year starter if he was on the roster. That's just since the start of camp. Graduation cost them a starting CB, a starting Mike LBer and a starter at DT. Another starting DT is coming off an ACL injury and may or may not be participating in contact drills. Maybe those next in line fill in admirably but there are enough questions defensively amongst those who've never done anything because they weren't there, those who've never done anything because they haven't played and those that haven't done much when they have played to be some serious concern for the defense. This is before the inevitable injuries begin to affect depth issues for which there isn't much on paper.

As I said, hopefully by game 4 and the beginning of league play, at least some of these issues are resolved or proven not to exist.

[vu72]

One experience that none of them have shared yet is playing before a packed house of 26,000 fans. Yes, we've played in some good sized stadiums like EKU and ISU recently but they weren't close in comparison to Washington-Grizzly in terms of crowd size and being literally surrounded by fans. When it is all said and done, these players will have a unique memory that will, in all likelihood, be the most memorable of their Valpo careers.

HOWEVER............

The intimidation factor will be very significant and it will take our kids at least a quarter to settle down. By then it could be all over. I hope we win the toss and defer so that our D plays first.  You can have the jitters on D and it still won't impact execution as much as it would the O. That first series would also give the O some time to better adjust while the crowd settles down.  Regardless, we will be playing in the most intense environment this program has ever experienced.

I'm glad I'll be there.

It will certainly be the biggest crowd this group has played for and mostly likely the biggest crowd ever for a Valpo team. In a quick check I found 15,347 at YSU and 18,665 at North Dakota State.  But then again, Appalachian State  went into Michigan in 2007 and beat them befor 109,000!!!  I was at the NDSU game which was played in the Fargo Dome.  The Montana crowd won't be as loud, trust me.